Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-06-23
BEN HlECEs RIDE 10 DEATH.


"@ JAIL tAN 1&AAuS AAC&tHDui DSHt4"
min Hanoe, colored, charged with an at
tempted felouious assault upon Miss Alice
Bailey, carried him about mile and a-half
from the Town and hanged him 20 a tree.
Before the Coroner's Jury, Mr. C. John
Clements, jaiIer, gave substantially the fol-
lowing account Of how the Jail was forced
and the prisoner secured:
About 100 O'Clock, Friday morning, /
was awakened by some one rapping at the
Jail door. asked, who is there and what
do you WANT The answer came, we
have prisoner for you To the question,
who is he? the reply was, John John
SOM said that did not believe them,
and after some further parleying, was told
that they had come after the prisoner
CHAnce) and was ordered to give up the
keys. This refused 10 do, and the lynch
ems then proceeded % break in the outside
Jail door. This was soon done, and eau
tioning me 10 remain in my room, a rush
was made up stairs, and after about an
half hours hard work, the door of the
prisoners cell was forced. Hance made
no outcry, but went along quietly. Men
were stationed TO guard my room"
After securing Hance, the lynchers took
him TO a locust tree in the Court House
yard and were making preparations to
swing him up when DR.. John I. Spalding,
whose wife was very sick, and who was
standing at the gate ofhis residence, crossed
over to the Court House fence and remark
ed:
Gentlemen, ! see what you are about to
do, but my wife is very sick, and If you
hang him there, you may destroy two or
three lives"
Not word was answered, but the party
left, and with their prisoner passed through
the turn-stile and around by DIR. Spalding's
towards the gate that lets into Mr.. Keys
, farm-yard. Here, apparently, their horses
were rendezyoused, and about this spot
Hance was placed upon horseback and
swiftly carried out of the Town, Mr.. Jos.
I II. Milburn and other residents along the
road being aroused by the noise Of the
cavalcade as il swept by.
/ Near the gate that leads into the farm of
the late John F. Wathen. on the road To
Newtown Neck, is an old witch-hazel tree
leaning over the roadway. Here
! BEN MANCE's RIDE To DEATH ENDED,
and the rising sun OF June II, 1887, looked
down upon his corpse swinging in the morn
ing breeze-a grim example of the penalty
81. Mary's men with wives, daughters and
sisters exact for crimes like Hancc's.
WHAT OCCURRED AT THE TREE.
The Baltimore Suns reporter gives the
following account of the last act Of the
! tragedy:
After leaving the Court House yard,
IIance was taken to persimmon tree on
Lawrence Avenue, but time was pressing,
and it was feared that it might be necessary
20 leave Hance, if they hung him there, be-
fore they were certain that life was extinct,
and that some one might cut him down.
For this reason he was placed on horse
back behind one Of the lynchers and his
legs tied under the horses belly. While
the captain and his men pushed on rapidly
with Hance on horseback two men were
still at the Jail TO see that the jailer did not
! pursue, and a guard also was continued at
| the armory. The ride was To- an unfre-
! quented road about two miles from Leon
I Oh L..
arm overhanging the road, was found sui
table TO lynching purposes. When this
tree was reached Hance was pulled off the
horse. His hands being tied, he could not
| break his fall and the sand into which he
fell stuck t. his hands and left side. Up 10
this time Hance had not uttered a syllable
since the attack on the Jail began. He was
told Ia get up in buggy stationed under
the fatal limb, and answered, Boss, unite
my hands and / will get up Said the
| captain, Never mind about that; put
your foot upon the hub and We will help
| YOU up This was done, and a moose was
put about the mans neck. One of the
men got up the tree and made the rope fast
| pulling il pretty tight about Hance's neck
but not tight enough Ia prevent his talk.
ing.
"'Arc you guilty of ravishing this girl OF
notE was asked
al am guilty, and ought To be hung,
suppose. Send word 10 my friends 10 take
charge Of my body and bury it in Sacred
Heart graveyard
"'Do you want 10 pray was asked.
MAY God Almighty have mercy upon
my poor, sinful SOUL was the answer.
Then the leader called all the men and
made each one take hold of the rope. whilt
he, on one side, and an assistant on the
other, lead the horse down the road, taking
the buggy from under Hance and leaving
him dangling over the road. There Wa:
no struggling beyond the working of thu
legs The lynchers staid until Hance'
pulse showed he was dead. IL was broad
day when they LEFT. The lynchers saiC
they hung Hance to save Miss Bailey tn
modification Of relating her story in court
and also from fear Of his getting off,
The rope used was u common leading
line, the mans arms were secured behin'
his back by a rope from elbow to elbow
the right hand was tied 10 the right foot
and as the body swung there with the hea'
pulled To one side and the blood dripping
from the nose and staining the white SAN
n. IL.